Use of novel immobilized β-galactosidase reactor to hydrolyze the lactose constituent of skim milk

Hydrolysis of lactose by free and immobilized beta-galactosidase from Thermus sp. strain T2

The hydrolysis of lactose by a beta-galactosidase from the thermophilic microorganism Thermus sp. strain T2, both in solution and immobilized on a commercial silica-alumina, has been studied. The enzyme has been previously produced by Escherichia coli JM101 harboring the plasmid pBGT1, which contains the codifying gene under the promoters lpp(P) and lac(PQ). The enzyme was immobilized on the support activated with tris-hydroxymethylphosphine (THP). Activity and stability of the free and the immobilized enzyme towards pH and temperature were tested. To study the activity at different pH and temperature values, lactose was used as substrate. To check the stability, the enzyme was incubated either in buffer BP or in a solution of lactose in buffer BM at different pH and temperatures, being the remaining activity tested by withdrawing samples and determining their activity toward ONPG at 70 degrees C in buffer BP. Afterward, runs were performed to obtain kinetic models adequate for the description of the hydrolysis of lactose by the free and the immobilized enzyme. These data were fitted to the kinetic models proposed (all based on the Michaelis-Menten mechanism) by non-linear regression, being the models and their parameters compared to determine the effect of the immobilization on the kinetic behavior of the enzyme. Both the free and the immobilized enzyme are competitively inhibited by galactose, while glucose inhibited only the action of the free enzyme, in an uncompetitive way. The immobilization step seems to eliminate the inhibition by glucose. Moreover, the immobilization reduced to a half the inhibitory action of galactose. In general, the immobilization reduced the activity of the enzyme, but increased its thermal stability. Finally, a comparison between the kinetic behavior of this thermophilic enzyme and enzymes of mesophile microorganisms previously studied by us (E. coli and K. fragilis) and by other authors (Aspergillus niger) is performed.

Production of galacto-oligosaccharides from lactose by Aspergillus oryzae beta-galactosidase immobilized on cotton cloth

The production of galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) from lactose by A. oryzae beta-galactosidase immobilized on cotton cloth was studied. The total amounts and types of GOS produced were mainly affected by the initial lactose concentration in the reaction media. In general, more and larger GOS can be produced with higher initial lactose concentrations. A maximum GOS production of 27% (w/w) of initial lactose was achieved at 50% lactose conversion with 500 g/L of initial lactose concentration. Tri-saccharides were the major types of GOS formed, accounting for more than 70% of the total GOS produced in the reactions. Temperature and pH affected the reaction rate, but did not result in any changes in GOS formation. The presence of galactose and glucose at the concentrations encountered near maximum GOS greatly inhibited the reactions and reduced GOS yield by as much as 15%. The cotton cloth as the support matrix for enzyme immobilization did not affect the GOS formation characteristics of the enzyme, suggesting no diffusion limitation in the enzyme carrier. The thermal stability of the enzyme increased approximately 25-fold upon immobilization on cotton cloth. The half-life for the immobilized enzyme on cotton cloth was more than 1 year at 40 degrees C and 48 days at 50 degrees C. Stable, continuous operation in a plugflow reactor was demonstrated for 2 weeks without any apparent problem. A maximum GOS production of 21 and 26% (w/w) of total sugars was attained with a feed solution containing 200 and 400 g/L of lactose, respectively, at pH 4.5 and 40 degrees C. The corresponding reactor productivities were 80 and 106 g/L/h, respectively, which are at least several-fold higher than those previously reported.

A strategy for the determination of enzyme kinetics using electrospray ionization with an ion trap mass spectrometer

A simple and rapid means of enzyme kinetic analysis was achieved using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and a one-point normalization factor. The model system used, glutathione S-transferase from porcine liver, is a two-substrate enzyme catalyzing the conjugation of glutathione with a variety of compounds containing an electrophilic center. An internal standard that is structurally similar to the product was added to the reaction quench solution, and a single-point normalization factor was used to determine the product concentration without the need of a calibration curve. Kinetic parameters, such as Km, Vmax and Ki (for thyroxine), obtained by electrospray mass spectrometry agreed with those obtained from traditional UV-vis spectroscopy, and competitive vs noncompetitive inhibition reactions could be delineated via mass spectrometry. These results suggest that our method can be applied to enzymatic processes in which spectrophotometric or spectrofluorometric assays are not feasible or when the relevant substrates do not incorporate chromophores or fluorophores. This new method is competitive with traditional UV assays in that it is facile and it involves very little analysis time.

Kinetic modeling of lactose hydrolysis with an immobilized beta-galactosidase from Kluyveromyces fragilis

The kinetic model of the hydrolysis of lactose with a beta-galactosidase from Kluyveromyces fragilis immobilized on a commercial silica-alumina (KA-3, from Südchemie) has been determined. A wide experimental range of the main variables has been employed: temperature, concentrations of substrate, and products and concentration of enzyme. The runs were performed in a complex buffer with the salt composition of milk. The effect of pH and temperature on the stability and the activity of the enzyme have been studied. The optimum pH for the enzyme activity was, approximately, seven. The immobilized enzyme was more stable than the free one at acidic pH, but more instable at basic pH. The maximum temperature used for the hydrolysis runs performed to select the kinetic model was 40 degrees C, so inactivation of the enzyme during the kinetic runs has been avoided. Agitation, concentration of enzyme in the solid and particle size were selected to ensure that the overall rate was that of the chemical reaction. Eleven kinetic models were proposed to fit experimental data, from first order to more complex ones, such as those taking into account inhibition by one of the compounds involved in the hydrolysis reaction. Applying statistical and physical criteria, a Michaelis-Menten model with a competitive inhibition by galactose has been selected. The model is able to fit the experimental data correctly in the wide experimental range studied. Finally, the model obtained is compared to the one selected in a previous work for the hydrolysis of lactose with the free enzyme.

Effect of temperature and enzyme origin on the enzymatic synthesis of oligosaccharides

The aim of this research is to quantify the effect of temperature and enzyme origin on the enzymatic synthesis of oligosaccharides. Quantification of these effects is important because temperature and enzyme origin are important process parameters. A kinetic model was used to describe the concentrations in time. The kinetic parameters were determined by using data obtained in batch experiments at various temperatures (20, 30, 40, and 50 degrees C) and by using beta-galactosidases from Bacillus circulans, Aspergillus oryzae, Kluyveromyces lactis, and Kluyveromyces fragilis. The effect of temperature on the kinetic parameters could be described with the Arrhenius equation, except for the inhibition parameter. Slightly higher oligosaccharide yields were found at higher temperatures. However, the influence of the initial lactose concentration was much larger. The higher yield at higher temperatures is an additional advantage when operating at high initial lactose concentrations and consequently elevated temperatures. Clear differences between the beta-galactosidases were found concerning amount, size, and type of oligosaccharides produced. The beta-galactosidase from B. circulans produced the most abundant amount, the most different, and largest-sized oligosaccharides. The beta-galactosidases from Kluyveromyces spp. produced mainly trisaccharides. The kinetic parameters for the different enzymes were determined and differences were discussed.

Development of an ultra-high-temperature process for the enzymatic hydrolysis of lactose. I. The properties of two thermostable beta-glycosidases

Recombinant beta-glycosidases from hyperthermophilic Sulfolobus solfataricus (SsbetaGly) and Pyrococcus furiosus (CelB) have been characterized with regard to their potential use in lactose hydrolysis at about 70 degrees C or greater. Compared with SsbetaGly, CelB is approximately 15 times more stable against irreversible denaturation by heat, its operational half-life time at 80 degrees C and pH 5.5 being 22 days. The stability of CelB but not that of SsbetaGly is decreased 4-fold in the presence of 200 mM lactose at 80 degrees C. CelB displays a broader pH/activity profile than SsbetaGly, retaining at least 60% enzyme activity between pH 4 and 7. Both enzymes have a similar activation energy for lactose hydrolysis of approximately 75 kJ/mol (pH 5.5), and this is constant between 30 and 95 degrees C. D-Galactose is a weak competitive inhibitor against the release of D-glucose from lactose (Ki approximately 0.3 M), and at 80 degrees C the ratio of Ki, D-galactose to Km,lactose is 2.5 and 4.0 for CelB and SsbetaGly, respectively. SsbetaGly is activated up to 2-fold in the presence of D-glucose with respect to the maximum rate of glycosidic bond cleavage, measured with o-nitrophenyl beta-D-galactoside as the substrate. By contrast, CelB is competitively inhibited by D-glucose and has a Ki of 76 mM. The transfer of the galactosyl group from lactose to acceptors such as lactose or D-glucose rather than water is significant for both enzymes and depends on the initial lactose concentration as well as the time-dependent substrate/product ratio during batchwise lactose conversion. It is approximately 1.8 times higher for SsbetaGly, compared with CelB. Overall, CelB and SsbetaGly share their catalytic properties with much less thermostable beta-glycosidases and thus seem very suitable for lactose hydrolysis at >/=70 degrees C.